United States GP practice as it happened

1. Hamilton fastest in second practice, Rosberg 2nd
2. Lotus' Maldonado and Grosjean spin
3. Hamilton fastest in first practice, Rosberg 2nd
4. Marussia & Caterham not in Austin
5. Bianchi still 'critical but stable'

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A look at the timesheets from both practice sessions would suggest Lewis Hamilton has had a great day. And until the last 18 minutes of FP2 he had. But then the mechanical gremlins came calling.

How much of an impact will it have on the rest of his weekend? Join me tomorrow from 14:30 BST tomorrow to find out. Until then, it's goodnight and Happy Halloween from me.

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Joanna Harran: Would love Fernando to have a decent race result to end the season. Has pushed that car all year, deserves at least a podium.

Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton tells BBC F1 pit lane reporter Jennie Gow that it was not a gearbox issue - it's a fuel leak problem but the team still need to do more investigating.

That's all the track action for today. We'll have all the latest news from the Austin paddock on the F1 pages or via @bbcf1.

There'll be video highlights of that second session, too, along with the best driver interviews. You'll be spoilt for choice.

Final practice starts at 15:00 GMT with qualifying following at 18:00.

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Second practice results

1) Hamilton 2) Rosberg 3) Alonso 4) Ricciardo 5) Massa 6) Raikkonen

7) Kvyat 8) Magnussen 9) Button 10) Hulkenberg 11) Bottas 12) Grosjean

13) Vergne 14) Perez 15) Maldonado 16) Sutil 17) Gutierrez 18) Vettel

The cars are just cruising around the track as part of the "virtual safety car" test as mentioned earlier. You can read more about it here.

That's the 14th time in 17 races this season that Lewis Hamilton has finished on top of the pile in second practice. Unfortunately, the shine was taken off the achievement as he missed the final 18 minutes of the session, and vital long-run time, with an as-yet-unidentified unidentified car problem.

Chequered flag

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Lewis Hamilton finishes fastest in second practice for the United States Grand Prix.

Sebastian Vettel has managed to get out for the final few minutes and has now upped his lap count to 16. That's still well down on Valtteri Bottas, Kevin Magnussen and Pastor Maldonado who have all done 35.

Jenson Button has finished this session in the top nine at every race this season. That run looks set to continue as the McLaren driver, who has yet to sign a contract for next season, is currently ninth, a few thousandths behind team-mate Kevin Magnussen in eighth.

Everyone is out on track apart from Lewis Hamilton, Nico Hulkenberg and Sebastian Vettel. Nico Rosberg is a ticking along nicely on his long run - it's certainly the German who has had the better fortune of the two Mercedes title rivals today.

EPA

Lewis Hamilton is out of the car and his car is up on the stands. Will the Mercedes driver get out again in this session? Just 18 minutes remaining and for every second he's in the garage, the Briton is losing valuable long run data gathering time.

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Ben Weaver: Will Sunday's race be a repeat of Bahrain? I hope not. My heart won't be up to it!!

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Oh dear. Lewis Hamilton is called into the pits. "We've got an issue with the car," comes the ominous message.

BBC

BBC Radio 5 live's Jennie Gow: Is this Hamilton Hill or Vettel Verge or have you got a better suggestion?

How about Raikkonen Ridge?

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Where is Sebastian Vettel? He's in the garage watching this session. The German has only completed 13 laps and has the 18th fastest time.

So there's gearbox concerns for both Mercedes drivers, with just under 25 minutes remaining. Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have decided to stay out, though, as not to disrupt their long run.

Team radio

Lewis Hamilon: "Noticed there's a strange shift coming across the finish line. Fourth [gear] to fifth."

It looks like the attention has turned to long runs, in preparation for Sunday's race. That means the standings are unlikely to change, with Lewis Hamilton top, ahead of Nico Rosberg, Fernando Alonso, Daniel Ricciardo and Felipe Massa.

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Paul in Canterbury: Am I the only person to think it's already been decided there will be three car teams next year? Would explain Alonso's cryptic messages - Hamilton/Rosberg/Alonso at Mercedes anyone?!

Team radio

Mercedes' Nico Rosberg: "Problem with the gearbox on the downshift."

Lotus F1 on Twitter: Rumours that Pastor had a spin are completely unfounded and totally untrue...well... Maybe there's some truth to it.

Only the Mercedes have managed to get into the 1m39s. Here's how they stand with just over 30 minutes remaining.

1) Ham 2) Ros 3) Alo 4) Ric 5) Mas 6) Rai 7) Kvy 8) Mag 9) But 10) Hul 11) Bot 12) Gro 13) Ver 14) Per 15) Mal 16) Sut 17) Gut 18) Vet

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Fernando Alonso goes third quickest on his soft tyre run with a 1:40.189, 1.1 seconds off the pace. Daniel Ricciardo is one tenth further adrift in fourth.

Andrew Benson

Chief F1 writer

"At the end the session, as was the case after first practice, the teams will trial a new system aimed at removing the possibility of a repeat of Jules Bianchi's awful accident in Japan. The 'virtual safety car' is an extension of the system used when a safety car is deployed but has not yet found the leader. All drivers will have a 'delta' time displayed on their dashboard - which will be about 35% of a dry lap time - and they have to stay 'positive' to it, i.e. slower. The results will be analysed afterwards before governing body the FIA and the teams decide how to proceed with it."

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And it doesn't look like that is about to change in Austin...

Pastor Maldonado spins, not for the first time today, down at Turn 19. The Venezuelan lost the rear of the car mid-corner. Meanwhile, Romain Grosjean reports that he lost Kers at the end of the last lap. Problem after problem after problem.

Second time around, Lewis Hamilton manages to get something more from those soft tyres to go quickest by 0.003 seconds. His team-mate Nico Rosberg, meanwhile, chose to pit. As it has been all season, it's just so close between the pair.

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Lewis Hamilton is just 0.009 seconds up on team-mate Nico Rosberg on his soft tyre run after two sectors, but he loses time in the final sector and slots into second, 0.053 seconds off the pace.

Nico Rosberg bolts on the soft tyres and heads out for his qualifying-simulation run. It's a stunner, the German clocking a 1:39.088 to improve on his previous best by nine tenths of a second.

Sebastian Vettel makes an appearance at last. The four-time world champion's first effort is nothing to shout about, though, as he slots into 18th - and last - with a 1:44.588.

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Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso got a taste of the future when they got behind the wheel of two concept cars, created by students who had to make the most of aerodynamics and materials so as to reduce the impact on the environment, ahead of this weekend. They probably had a lot more fun driving those than this year's Ferrari which has been very, very disappointing.

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McLaren are continuing their upward curve of form with another strong performance so far this weekend in Austin. Kevin Magnussen is third quickest, one second adrift of Hamilton, with Jenson Button a few thousandths back in fourth.

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Jayne: Austin track looks so wide, double decker bus races wide not F1!!

Nico Rosberg wrestles P1 off his Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton, his lap of 1:40.078 is 0.537 seconds quicker.

Mercedes/Twitter

Mercedes on Twitter: Lewis Hamilton comes over all psychedelic - it's a slick look too

Here's how they stand with 68 minutes remaining:

1) Ros 2) Ham 3) Mag 4) Alo 5) Ver 6) But 7) Ric 8) Kvy 9) Mas 10) Gut 11) Hul 12) Bot 13) Per 14) Sut 15) Rai 16) Gro 17) Mal 18) Vet

Everyone has been out and set a time apart from Sebastian Vettel, who is going nowhere fast. The four-time world champion is pacing around the garage, arms folded, while his team change the gearbox on his Red Bull.

Lotus/Twitter

Lotus F1 on Twitter: Well it was only a matter of time until Romain came back in, he wants to say hi to Matt LeBlanc too!

The Friends star is watching this session from the Lotus garage.

Normal service is resumed as Lewis Hamilton sails to the top of the timesheets with a 1:40.993, half a second quicker than Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg. Kevin Magnussen is the closest challenger in third, half a second further back.

Williams' Felipe Massa loses the rear end and spins at Turn One. There's no harm done, though, and he's soon back on his way.

Andrew Benson

Chief F1 writer

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"Both former Caterham drivers are in Austin despite the absence of their team, trying to sort out a future in F1. Kamui Kobayashi said there was 'some chance' the team could be in Abu Dhabi, but it appears time is running out. The administrator said if so, that will be with a new owner, and if Caterham is not sold in two weeks' time, it will probably have to be wound up. Kobayashi said no-one from the team rang him to say what was going on but that he has no regrets about taking the drive.

"He also addresses the story broken by BBC Sport after the Russian race that he had been scared to get in the car on Saturday at Sochi following a repair to a damaged suspension arm. 'When I saw that I was a bit scared and posted it on my private one but my question was who posted these things in my private one. It's not really (what you should do). I was a bit scared in the beginning but when I raced it was fine.'"

Jenson Button gets a bit grumpy with his race engineer when asked to repeat a radio message. The 2009 world champion shouts the feedback back for a second time and then snaps "and sort the radio out". Ouch.

Lewis Hamilton has topped second practice 13 times in 16 rounds this year - and he has only been outside of the top three once (in Malaysia). The 2008 world champion has yet to make an appearance, with just over 75 minutes remaining.

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Jenson Button is the early pace-setter, the McLaren driver clocking a 1:42.427, two seconds quicker than Valtteri Bottas with Romain Grosjean four tenths further adrift.

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Andrew Benson

Chief F1 writer

"You have to feel for Jean-Eric Vergne at the moment. Comparable on race form - if not in qualifying - with Daniel Ricciardo when they were Toro Rosso team-mates in 2012-13 and pretty equal everywhere with Daniil Kvyat this year, the Australian and the Russian will be in Red Bulls next season while the Frenchman is staring at the dole queue.

"But Kvyat's promotion to replace Ferrari-bound Sebastian Vettel has at least opened up the possibility of another chance for Vergne at Toro Rosso, who had initially planned to team Kvyat with newcomer Max Verstappen next year. Vergne says he thinks him staying to give the 17-year-old Dutchman a benchmark to learn from is "the best option for everyone". But it's far from certain he'll get that chance, with Formula Renault 3.5 champion Carlos Sainz and GP3 front-runner Alex Lynn in the running as well, and Toro Rosso there to promote young drivers."

Valtteri Bottas is among the first drivers out on track. The Finn made way for reserve driver Felipe Nasr in the first session, so it's no surprise to see him get out early to catch up on lost ground. He's joined by Romain Grosjean and Jenson Button.

Lotus on Twitter

We're just minutes into the second session and we've got our first celebrity spot of the day. It's Matt LeBlanc, of Friends and Episodes fame, who is enjoying the hospitality over at Lotus.

Go! Go! Go!

The waiting is over. Let second practice begin!

The wind is gusting in Austin so expect to see a few drivers get caught out, especially in the high speed corners. Just three minutes until the start of the session.

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Chris #ForzaJules: I like the fact that teams are stretching out parts life, unreliability makes the season more interesting after 20+ car finishes!

Andrew Benson

Chief F1 writer

"The plight of Marussia and Caterham, missing this weekend after going into administration, has re-awakened the debate about three-car teams. It is a controversial subject, as outlined by opposing views from Jenson Button and Daniel Ricciardo.

Button said: 'I don't like the idea of three cars in a team. Two cars is the way it always has been and it is the way it works in Formula 1. If you have one team like this year that have been a step above then they lock out the podium in the top three places. So personally I feel it is a shame if it goes in that direction.'

Ricciardo said: 'More cars is nicer anyway but the drivers (and) the people who work for those teams are losing their jobs. Three-car teams I don't see any negative from that, to have another team-mate and see more cars on the grid.'"

It's a big weekend for Mexican duo Sergio Perez and Esteban Gutierrez. Neither have deals in place for 2015 so a strong performance in what is, until next season when the Mexican GP joins the calendar, the closest thing they have to a home race, with Austin just 225 miles - the distance from London to Manchester - from the Mexico border.

Toro Rosso/Twitter

Toro Rosso on Twitter: The Beauties and the Beast! #Halloween #Trick orTreat in the Circuit of The Americas Paddock!

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Strong stuff from Bob Fernley there. Where does Formula 1 go from here? Any thoughts? If you were in control of the sport what would you change? and Fire them over via the #bbcf1 hashtag, text 81111 (UK only) or leave a comment on the BBC Sport Facebook page.

Andrew Benson

Chief F1 writer

"Force India deputy team principal Bob Fernley has been one of the most outspoken critics of the financial structure that has been created in F1, with the big teams getting much greater income than the smaller ones and a 'big six' on the strategy group making decisions with the others effectively disenfranchised to a degree. And he has gone in with both feet on Friday.

"'We have missed an opportunity in F1 to be able to get it sustainable,' Fernley said. 'That is passed us and there is no point looking back. F1 is at a crossroads. I think it will be in a different format in 2015 and I don't know what that is. There is clearly an agenda. CVC and the teams they have empowered have got some form of programme in place because nobody (otherwise) would have teams going out of business a split that is inequitable. Two teams have been forced out of F1 and how many need to be forced out of F1 before they achieve the goal they are looking for?'"

Mercedes/Twitter

Mercedes on Twitter: Pre-FP warm-up @nico_rosberg style! #Tekkers

AP

The Circuit of the Americas is the second Texas venue to host an F1 race. What was the first I hear you ask? It was the one-off Dallas Grand Prix of 1984, of course, and held during a time when there were TWO United States Grand Prix on the calendar. The other was in Detroit.

The track is situated in the unincorporated community of Elroy, which officially had a population of 125 at the most recent estimate (in 2000). It is 24km from the centre of Austin, the state capital of Texas, the metro area of which boasts 1.8m people.

Andrew Benson

Chief F1 writer

AP

"Jenson Button has admitted this weekend in Austin that he has found the uncertainty about his future unsettling and difficult to handle. It remains unclear whether he will be retained by McLaren next year - and by extension stay in F1 - as the team continue to hope Fernando Alonso will join them for 2015. Button says he has been through some dark days dealing with this, but has come through them now.

"'I'm just making sure I'm enjoying it and not feeling like I was a few weeks ago before Japan when I felt under massive pressure,' Button said. 'I think both of us did as drivers. It's not a nice way to feel as drivers. I feel in a much better place now, as I was in Russia, just getting my head down and enjoying my racing and what happens happens.' Button said he had not been told anything about McLaren's plans, he had just altered his thinking on the subject, with the help of friends and family.

"But he did betray a frustration at the team. 'We found something on set-up that's helped me,' he said. 'Just general set-up work. Something that has taken longer than it should of.' Button's engineer was changed mid-season, from the experienced Dave Robson to the inexperienced Tom Stallard."

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Lewis Hamilton has been sporting a nifty piece of bling this weekend - a chain displaying an image of Andy Warhol's "Cars, Mercedes Benz 300 SL Coupe".

You can listen to commentary - which is available online only - with James Allen in the box and Jennie Gow in the pit lane from 18:55 GMT, with the session starting at 19:00.

Sauber on Twitter

Sauber on Twitter: In between sessions, Esteban Gutierrez is quickly practicing his lasso skills. Did he catch the bull?

Today's second session will last 90 minutes and see the teams and drivers use the option tyre - which in this case is the soft - for the first time this weekend. There will be a focus on longer runs, but with a qualifying simulation thrown in, too.

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Evening all and a very warm welcome to live coverage of second practice for the 2014 United States Grand Prix. We're in Austin, Texas for round 17 of the Formula 1 World Championship, which sees Lewis Hamilton lead Nico Rosberg by 17 points with 100 left on the table.

Daniel Ricciardo is the only driver mathematically still in which a chance of victory - but it would take a miracle, one similar to Kimi Raikkonen's in 2007, for the Australian to snatch the title this term.

Trick or treat? Nico Rosberg could certainly do with the latter. The German is falling back in the title battle with every passing race and desperately needs to turn the tide this weekend in Austin.

The early signs weren't good as he was beaten to top spot in first practice by his team-mate and title rival Lewis Hamilton. What can he pull out of the bag in second practice?

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Lewis Hamilton will have plenty to smile about after comfortably topping the times in first practice. The Briton has performed well at this circuit in the past, winning the inaugural race in 2012. Can he keep today's momentum running into second practice. Join me from 18:30 GMT to find out. See ya in a bit.

Get involved #bbcf1

Simon Airey: Great series of laps from Lewis Hamilton. World Champion elect?

Catch up on that session with our developing first practice report or keep an eye on the F1 pages for video highlights later today.

First practice results

1) Hamilton 2) Rosberg 3) Button 4) Kvyat 5) Magnussen 6) Alonso

7) Vettel 8) Nasr 9) Hulkenberg 10) Verstappen 11) Massa 12) Raikkonen

13) Maldonado 14) Sutil 15) Perez 16) Gutierrez 17) Ricciardo 18) Grosjean

Track action continues, despite the session being over, because the FIA are testing out their "virtual safety car system".

The system, which forces drivers to slow in an accident zone, is aimed at eliminating the possibility of a repeat of the accident that left Jules Bianchi in a critical condition.

Frenchman Bianchi remains in hospital with severe head injuries suffered when he hit a recovery vehicle in a crash at the Japanese Grand Prix this month.

Chequered flag

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Lewis Hamilton finishes fastest in first practice for the United States Grand Prix.

Replays show Kimi Raikkonen appears to get caught out by Pastor Maldonado, who he was following closely on entry to the pit lane, and has ultimately overshot his pit-box.

He stops the car further down, cuts the engine and then waits for his mechanics to run down to rescue him.

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Tony, Corby: Hamilton, Rosberg 1,2. Ok sorted.. onto Brazil!!!

That Lotus looks like a right handful. Romain Grosjean has a huge moment, when the rear end starts twitching, sending him off the track. "Do I have a puncture?" he asks. "No puncture, Romain."

Seconds later, his team-mate Pastor Maldonado has another off with a similarly poor handling car. I bet they can't wait to see the back of this season's Lotus.

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Jack: Great to see the young guns having a go at a rather tricky track in my opinion.

Sebastian Vettel is out of his car to signal the end of his session for the four-time world champion. He's currently seventh quickest, 1.5 seconds off the pace.

Kimi Raikkonen runs wide at the uphill Turn One, but he's soon back on track without any damage.

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Faseeh Warind: It's going to be a repeat of last year. Hamilton will win this by a proverbial mile.

Josh Robson-Hemmings: If Rosberg wins on double points in Abu Dhabi I think I'm done with this sport

Alastair Stewart: Does anyone think double-points in #AbuDhabiGP is sensible, fair or intelligent?

Lewis Hamilton leaves the pits on scrubbed mediums to head out for what will likely be his final run with just 14 minutes remaining of this session. He's currently fastest, and with Nico Rosberg second Mercedes are on target for their 10th one-two of the season in this session.

Daniil Kvyat, Max Verstappen and Kevin Magnussen have been busy this morning, each clocking up 22 laps - more than anyone else. At the other end of the scale, Daniel Ricciardo has managed just five as his Red Bull team continue to work on an engine problem.

Lotus F1/Twitter

Lotus F1 on Twitter: Romain's back in for a chat. That nose has got everyone talking, us included...

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Chris McGonagle: I really want Lewis to win this weekend!! Fingers and toes crossed.

With 20 minutes to go, Lewis Hamilton leads the way with a best lap of 1:39.841, three tenths of a second quicker than Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg. Jenson Button is a tenth further back in third, with Daniil Kvyat fourth and Kevin Magnussen fifth.

1) Ham 2) Ros 3) But 4) Kvy 5) Mag 6) Alo 7) Vet 8) Nas 9) Hul 10) Ver

Felipe Nasr, who is borrowing Valtteri Bottas' Williams for this session, is doing a good job. He's currently eighth quickest, three and a half tenths quicker than regular race driver Felipe Massa.

BBC F1 pit-lane reporter Jennie Gow reports that the Red Bull mechanics are still working on Daniel Ricciardo's car and it is looking increasingly likely that he will have to change the engine. The Australian has left the garage because it's unlikely he'll be back out in this session.

Adrian Sutil makes a mess of it down at Turn 19, the Sauber driver spinning after getting a wheel on the kerb and lighting up the tyres before rolling to a stop, engaging first gear and getting going again.

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Next time around, Lewis Hamilton goes even quicker, improving to a 1:40.044. Medium tyres are still the order of the day. We probably won't see the soft rubber until the second session.

Lewis Hamilton has flexed his muscles for the first time in this session, the 2008 world champion leaving the garage and wasting little time in getting up to speed. The Briton clocks a 1:40.106, with his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg slotting into second, 0.127 seconds off the pace.

Pastor Maldonado has a moment up at Turn One, running wide before rejoining. Nico Rosberg is off track, too, down at Turn 20, but escapes unscathed.

Williams: No major upgrades for the remaining races but we are still developing the car to make sure we get the most out of every race. Constructors' championship is our primary focus and so we won't rest until the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi!

With a little over 30 minutes remaining, here's how they stand:

1) Button 2) Rosberg 3) Kvyat 4) Magnussen 5) Alonso 6) Vettel 7) Hulkenberg 8) Hamilton 9) Raikkonen 10) Verstappen

Sebastian Vettel improves to the fourth quickest time with a 1:41.463, 1.1 seconds off the pace. Russian Daniil Kvyat is just a tenth further back in fifth in the Toro Rosso.

Jenson Button is back on top with a 1:40.319, seven tenths of a second quicker than McLaren team-mate Kevin Magnussen. Fernando Alonso is third, three tenths further back, with Lewis Hamilton fourth, Kimi Raikkonen fifth and Nico Rosberg sixth.

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At last, Adrian Sutil has an F1 record to his name. Unfortunately, it's not one he would have dreamed of having. The German has now competed in a record 125 grands prix without ever finishing on the podium.

There were also rumours that Sebastian Vettel would miss qualifying altogether because by taking a sixth new engine, the penalties would add up to mean he would have to start from the pit lane, even if he took pole.

"We'll certainly be taking part in qualifying," said Red Bull boss Christian Horner. "But we have to be very careful with our mileage, he has to get through three race weekends with this unit."

Daniel Ricciardo's running in this session has stalled as he has an engine issue. Red Bull boss Christian Horner said: "Some alarm bells were triggered on the last run and at the moment, the boys are getting into it to try and find out what it is."

Everyone has set a time in this session apart from Nico Hulkenberg in the Force India with 50 minutes remaining.

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This weekend, Mercedes have the chance to tie McLaren's single season record of 10 one-two finishes, set by Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in 1988, albeit in a 16-race season.

Lewis Hamilton is out of his car, overalls rolled down and baseball cap on, and chatting to his engineers in the Mercedes garage.

It's all gone quiet out on track as the first half hour of the session, where drivers get an extra set of tyres to use, is over. Kevin Magnussen leads the way with a 1:41.078 with his McLaren team-mate Jenson Button just a tenth further back. Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen complete the top five.

Daniel Ricciardo's race engineer asks how his charge to describe how the balance feels. The Australian replies with some constructive comments before finishing with "generally not awful".

Fernando Alonso, who has been in the top three in first practice 10 times in 2014 without ever qualifying that high, is ramping it up, closing to within two tenths of a second of pace-setter Jenson Button with a 1:41.323.

Mercedes have finished 1-2 in this session nine times in 16 races this year. Currently, Lewis Hamilton is ninth quickest, 2.4 seconds off the pace, with Nico Rosberg 14th, a further three seconds adrift.

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Byron Foxx Mubaiwa: That hill approaching Turn 1 is massive. Could literally roll back.

Andrew Benson

Chief F1 writer

"Kimi Raikkonen was asked on Thursday about reports in the Italian media that the Ferrari 2015 car had been showing disappointing results in the wind tunnel and was producing less downforce than the current car. As is so often the case, what was presented by some as a denial was not one at all, although Raikkonen insisted he was confident the team would improve next season.

"There are a lot of rumours in F1 but I have 100% ,' Raikkonen said. 'People are always speaking, but the problem is they are not the people designing the car or in the wind tunnel. I am sure we can have a good package. Is it good enough? Time will tell. But we have a lot of work to do. We learned a lot from this year and we don't expect to lead the championship from the front and be winning all the races. But I am sure we will make a big leap and be up there fighting and improving things.'"

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Kimi Raikkonen celebrated his 35th birthday earlier this month. It's hard to believe that he made his debut way back in 2001, when he was 21 and had just 23 car races under his belt. The Finn is currently 12th fastest, four seconds off the pace.

Jenson Button goes quickest with a 1:41.158, two seconds clear of Fernando Alonso, with Lewis Hamilton, who has pitted, three tenths of the pace in third. Still 70 minutes to go.

Sauber's Giedo van der Garde tells Jennie Gow that the aim all season had been to ben promoted from third driver to race driver next season and the chances of that are "looking very good". Interesting. Who will make way? Esteban Gutierrez or Adrian Sutil?

Qualifying procedure tweak

With Caterham and Marussia not taking part this weekend, thus leaving a field of 18, the stewards have made a tweak to the qualifying procedures.

Ordinarily, six cars are booted out in Q1 and another six in Q2. That has been changed to four in Q1 and four in Q2 to leave 10, as usual, to fight it out for pole in Q3.

Mercedes on Twitter: Ghoulish understeer to report after those 1st runs - overnight rain washed the soul from the surface...

Andrew Benson

Chief F1 writer

"While the world waits for Fernando Alonso's future to be firmed up, and with it that of Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen, one driver's plans were revealed recently - Nico Hulkenberg is staying with Force India. The German is considered by many as a future star but a seat in a top team remains elusive, which he admits is not easy.

"'Every driver wants to be in the top car and fight for wins and it is no different with me,' Hulkenberg said, 'so you are impatient and it is frustrating not to have it yet. But I will keep working hard here and I'm sure one year the opportunity will come.' Team-mate Sergio Perez said he was in the final phases of securing his own future with the team."

Force India/Twitter

Force India on Twitter: Warm and sunny here at stunning Circuit of The Americas.

BBC F1 pit-lane reporter Tom Clarkson reports that the piece of carbon fibre which Kimi Raikkonen is running on top of the Ferrari is there because the team are considering raising the height of the chassis at that point and want to see if it adversely affects the drivers' visibility.

Lewis Hamilton is the early pace-setter, the Mercedes driver and championship leader clocking a 1:49.164, one second clear of team-mate and title rival Nico Rosberg. Adrian Sutil in the Sauber is the only other driver to have set a time, and he's 1.5 seconds further back.

Lotus on Twitter

Here's a shot of the new Lotus nose, which is certainly more aesthetically pleasing. It's very similar to the one on the Ferrari. It'll only be run in this session, though, as it's a 2015-spec nose, and only Romain Grosjean will be running it.

Marussia and Caterham were deemed to be in breach of the regulations by the race stewards as they are not participating in this weekend's grand prix and therefore weren't present for scrutineering on Thursday.

However, the stewards said that in "view of the teams' current financial circumstances" no penalty will be imposed and have instead referred the matter to FIA president Jean Todt.

Andrew Benson

Chief F1 writer

"Fernando Alonso's future continues to be a focus of interest in F1, with the Spaniard weighing up a move to McLaren or a year out, in either case with one eye on a Mercedes drive in 2016. He was gnomic on the subject on Thursday, repeating that he has a 'very ambitious plan for my future which I think is the best for Ferrari as well'. Although how it can be the 'best' for Ferrari to lose arguably the best driver on the grid is an interesting one.

"In between the evasions, though, he did say it was 'unlikely' he would be taking a year out, and he came up with an interesting answer to a question about whether this decision was his last chance of securing a third title. 'Um, probably, yes,' Alonso said. 'But at the end of the day winning or not winning is a matter of being in the right place in the right moment, and getting the respect of everyone has more value sometimes. When I joined Ferrari in September 2009 I didn't have the respect I have now. I didn't win in five years, it was difficult but I grew up as a driver and as a person as well. So definitely I want to win and to win the third title. I'm sure I will have the opportunity in the next years.'"

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have taken their respective Mercedes out for a spin, as has the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen, who is running an interesting metal plate just in front of the cockpit. I've not seen that before. It looks like the Finn is doing some constant speed tests.

Some tyre chat for you - Pirelli have brought the soft and medium compound to Austin, compared to the medium and hard choices from the previous two races. Why? Well I expect its because those grands prix saw mostly just one stop per driver. The latest selection should force more stops.

Mercedes/Twitter

Mercedes on Twitter: In the zone...

Go! Go! Go!

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The pit-lane doors have swung open. In the words of Lewis Hamilton's race engineer: "It's Hammer Time!"

BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

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David Wiles: I do think F1 teams should be able to make a living out competing, at least as much as shareholders.

Jennie Gow

BBC Radio 5 live pit-lane reporter

"Sebastian Vettel will be sporting a Captain America helmet."

Andrew Benson

Chief F1 writer

"Keep an eye out for a novelty at Lotus, who are trialling a new low nose in first practice. The idea is to gather data ahead of 2015, when the loophole that led to the 'anteater' noses on many of the cars this year has been closed, forcing all down the route chosen this year by Ferrari and Mercedes.

"Pastor Maldonado said it would only be used for one run in first practice to correlate the information from the track with that from the wind tunnel. Would he be using it? He said he didn't know.

"After his crash-strewn year, perhaps it would be better if it was left to team-mate Romain Grosjean, who has announced ahead of this weekend that his wife is expecting their second child. 'At least that worked,' he joked, in a reference to Lotus's dreadful season."

Lotus F1/Twitter

Lotus F1 on Twitter: Special lid for Romain Grosjean this weekend, who is a fan of Matt LeBlanc?!

Red Bull on Twitter

I tip my hat to Daniel Ricciardo for his Texan style facial hair this weekend. Incredible scenes.

Joining Max Verstappen in this first practice run-out is Felipe Nasr, who is borrowing Valtteri Bottas' Williams for 90-minutes.

Andrew Benson

Chief F1 writer

"Max Verstappen's crash-course in F1 continues this weekend. The 17-year-old Dutchman, who will race for Toro Rosso next year, gets another go in first practice following on from his first taste in Japan two races ago. He judged his first effort 'not too bad' - which was a fair comment for being a few 10ths of a second off Daniil Kvyat. His progress will be watched with interest."

Max Verstappen on Twitter

And over in Austin, Max Verstappen, who will make his F1 debut next season with Toro Rosso, had a go at indoor skydiving.

Ferrari on Twitter

While Lewis Hamilton was in New York, Kimi Raikkonen headed to Louisville, Kentucky to take the controls of a Boeing 757 aircraft, albeit in a simulator, in the build-up to this weekend's race.

The downside was he had to help in the freight sorting office afterwards...

Ferrari on Twitter

Rain hit Austin earlier today, but conditions are somewhat brighter now and with the sun bursting through, the track is drying ahead of the start of the session.

Andrew Benson

Chief F1 writer

"Some housekeeping before we get going. The weekend is only just getting under way, but already there are likely to be two grid penalties. Jenson Button says he will have a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change in his McLaren, and breaking the rule that requires drivers to use the same gearbox for six races. Sebastian Vettel, meanwhile, looks certain to miss qualifying altogether and start from the back of the grid for taking a sixth all-new engine with all its elements.

"This is not completely confirmed, but it has been heavily trailed by Red Bull ahead of the weekend. 'As far as I know the plan is to pull a sixth component of all the components,' Vettel said, 'and if you do that you have to start from the pit lane. So our plan could be a little different in terms of how we approach practice and qualifying. You try to prepare for the race. Practice largely we will try to focus on the race because whatever you do in qualifying you start from the back anyway.'"

Lewis Hamilton on Twitter

There was also a good turnout for Lewis Hamilton, when he turned up in New York with his Mercedes W05 for his appearance on NBC's Today Show on Wednesday.

Getty Images

Sebastian Vettel caused a scene in downtown Austin when he took his Red Bull out for a spin along North Congress Avenue, backdropped by the Texas Capitol building. It seemed to go down a storm, with the place packed with fans.

Get involved

There's a few talking points to get stuck into today. So don't be shy. Have your say.

Do you think Formula 1 needs a cost cap or is the fact that teams come and go - over 150 have competed in the sport during its 50 year history and only nine are still going - just part of the sport?

Sebastian Vettel, the reigning world champion, might skip qualifying, because he has to use a sixth power unit of the season, one more than is allowed, which means even if he qualifies on pole, he will have to start in the pit-lane? What do you think of these engine rules?

And the Circuit of the Americas is the 10th different F1 venue in the USA - how does it rate against the other nine?

Tweet us using #bbcf1 hashtag, text 81111 (UK only) or leave a comment on the BBC Sport Facebook page.

Today, it's all about practice - with two 90-minute sessions providing teams and drivers with an opportunity to gather data for qualifying and the race. The first session kicks off at 16:00 GMT, the second follows at 20:00.

Andrew Benson

Chief F1 writer

"In just three years, the US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, has become a real highlight of the Formula 1 season, up there with the likes of Melbourne, Monaco, Montreal, Spa and Monza as one of the must-visit events. Austin, like very few places on the calendar, has everything, from a good circuit to an atmospheric location in a buzzy, happening city packed with bars hosting live music.

"As Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo explains: 'It's definitely one of the better - if not the best - modern generation circuits. You can pass, the wide corner entrances create more opportunities for overtaking. I honestly think it's the best circuit on the calendar for overtaking. I think there are more spots around the lap here for overtaking opportunities than any other, so that's always exciting. And Austin is fun, cool. I love my music and I could sit in those bars all night watching people doing their thing.'"

Nico Rosberg on Twitter

Nico Rosberg on Twitter: Happy Halloween to everyone from me and my engineer Tony!

AP

Afternoon all. Happy Halloween and a very warm welcome to Texas, the state which gave us cowboy boots, George W Bush and the Circuit of the Americas, host of this weekend's United States Grand Prix.

It's round 17 of the 2014 Formula 1 World Championship which has been a season-long tussle between Mercedes team-mates Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton.

It's the latter who heads Stateside with the advantage, heading the German by 17 points - but there are still 100 to play for.

Getty Images

And then there were 18.

First Caterham were put in administration. Then rivals Marussia followed suit a few days later. And former FIA president Max Mosley says they "may not be the last".

Both teams won't be in Austin which means we're set for our smallest grid since the 2005 Monaco Grand Prix this weekend with just nine teams and 18 cars.

It's not quite as bad as the 2005 United States Grand Prix fiasco, when just six cars took to the grid because of a tyre dispute - but it's hardly the ideal scenario as Formula 1 continues to try to establish itself as a credible sport in the United States.